By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Aryna Sabalenka was nothing but spectacular in the quarterfinal round of the US Open Grand Slam event after sweeping Paris Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng- 6.1, 6.2- to punch a semifinal ticket on September 4, 2024, in Queens, New York.
Fresh off a dominant outing over Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals, Sabalenka picked up where she left off and maintained her offensive rampage in the US Open.
As early as the opening set, Sabalenka quickly frustrated the queen of the Olympics after scoring two straight break points that limited Zheng’s score to just a point in four-game sets.
Smelling blood and inching close to a 1-0 lead, Sabalenka showed no mercy and pummeled Zheng in the baseline exchanges, connecting on her signature forehand down-the-line bombs.
With only two points away from clinching the first set, Sabalenka grabbed the entire momentum of the game after winning a 16-shot rally followed by a sweet backhand winner.
After the first set clinic, Sabalenka didn’t slow down and ramped up her intensity to kick off the second frame.
As her groundstrokes kept on kissing the line brought by the heavy top spin, Sabalenka put Zheng in difficult situations, neutralizing her forehand flat stroke that needed more space to be triggered.
The final nail in the coffin occurred during the last game set, after Sabalenka won another long rally exchange despite two forehand bombs that were sent by Zheng.
Sabalenka ‘s service game also propelled her to the huge win as the two-time Grand Slam queen tallied a total of six service aces.
Aside from the instant service points, Sabalenka also accumulated a 73% win rate on her first service possession and amassed 74 total points won.
With the flawless victory, Sabalenka will be arranging a US Open semifinal clash with Emma Navarro who edged Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals.
